What James Did
by melodrome
Summary: James Potter must have done something significant to catch Lily Evans' attention, but he must have done something even more substantial to catch Voldemort's. This is the story of just what James did.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**_ The first chapter has been edited very slightly, mostly for the purpose of including the date.  
The first three chapters take place within the same day; chapters thereafter will occur months or even years after the chapter before it. It's more a collection of connected drabbles, with the first drabble divided into three so as not to overwhelm.  
Starting in May, 1977 and eventually going right up until October, 1981.  
Feedback very appreciated!_

* * *

_May, 1977_

"Coming, mate?" Sirius had that grin on his face. He was planning something.

"Hm? Oh, yeah," James replied distractedly. He rose from his place on the lawn, glanced once more across the lake at Lily's pony tail, and forced a similarly mischievous grin onto his face as he joined his friend. "So what's the plan?"

Sirius kept grinning. "You know how to make ropes come out of your wand, right?"

James rolled his eyes. "Didn't we do that one last week?"

"I don't want to tie Snivellus to a chandelier this time. Although..." Sirius raised his eyebrows knowingly at James. "We could work him in somewhere too... but the fireworks may not lift him high enough..."

"Fireworks?" James started, an honest grin spreading across his face this time.

"Also it would be a bit of a giveaway that we were involved if we exploded the Grease Monster as well."

"As well as what?"

Sirius looked suddenly astounded that he hadn't filled James in yet. "Sorry, Prongs, I forget sometimes that you're not _actually _inside my head. The plan is to tie some dungbombs to some Dr. Filibuster's, and watch the chaos unfold from our shelter under an impervius charm as we're about to leave Hogsmeade." The dreamy expression returned to his face as he plotted ways to bring Snape into the prank. "Maybe if we use the smaller fireworks for the dungbombs and just used one big one for Snivellus... he'd work just as well as a dungbomb, his hair's filthy enough..."

James' sigh was audible. "You know I'm joking, Prongs, relax. I've learned my lesson... I won't seriously attempt to do anything to Snape without at least consulting you first." Sirius winked, but James didn't smile. Months though it had been, James no longer trusted Sirius where Snape was concerned. The incident in the Shrieking Shack had been enough of an indication that Sirius' dislike for Snape ran far deeper than did James'... perhaps a bit too deep.

"Guys! Guys, wait up," came Peter's squeaky voice from amongst the crowd behind them. James and Sirius slowed up and waited for the shorter boy to catch up with them. "Hi," he breathed as he met their stride.

"Did you see Poppy take Moony down this morning, Wormy?" Sirius asked. He and the matron were on a first-name basis; Sirius was in there so often recovering from the fallout of his pranks that he was a weekly regular. Calling Madam Pomfrey Poppy was just one of those things that Sirius' charm allowed him to get away with.

"Yep," Peter confirmed. "They walked across the grounds, prodded the willow and then disappeared down the hole."

"As usual," James said, exchanging an amused glance with Sirius. Peter had lately started reporting every detail of what he observed to whichever Marauder was closest to him. Remus had taken to hexing Peter to be quiet whenever he started talking too much. Peter, in turn, had taken to making sure Remus was nowhere in sight when he spoke.

Sirius took a deep breath and stretched contentedly as they walked, ignoring Peter's reflexive pan of the area for the cranky werewolf. "I love Hogsmeade weekends," he stated contentedly.

"We go into Hogsmeade on a monthly basis," James pointed out.

"Yeah, but no one's around to prank when it's just us. Plus we've got to wolf-sit most of the time, and it's always night. My tan never benefits unless it's a Hogsmeade weekend."

James snorted at Sirius' vanity, but his retort caught in his throat as he caught sight of Lily, skirting around him with a group of friends. "Hey Evans," James called immediately.

He could almost hear the sound of Lily's eyes being rolled as she turned reluctantly around, but continued to walk backwards even as she faced him. "What do you want, Potter?"

"A date," James grinned. "Just one. We're on our way down to Hogsmeade anyway, it's not like it's out of your way or anything..."

"It might not be out of my way, but I'd almost certainly have to be out of my mind."

"Oh, but then we'd both be out of our minds, me with my lovesickness, you with your having gone on a date with me, and then we'd be even more perfect for each other than we already are!"

Lily finally stopped walking, hands on her hips. James continued to approach her until he was only inches away; he stood over her, grinning coyly while he watched her green eyes carefully. "I am nothing like you, Potter," she said, voice dripping with venom.

"Fortunately for me, Evans, you are very wrong." Their faces were so close to each other that they were almost brushing noses; James revelled in the electricity that made the end of his nose itch and kept his eyes focused on hers. After trying unsuccessfully to stare him down for a few moments, she opened her mouth to argue with him. James grinned his most charming grin; all at once, her expression became kind and calm, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Do you know what I realized just now when I was about to argue with you, James?" Lily said finally, leaning slightly closer. James was hardly daring to believe what he was witnessing; did his most charming grin actually have an effect on Lily? As he was thinking it, the smile on her face grew wider, and his own responded in kind. "I realized," she started, intentionally letting her breath tickle his face, "that you're not even worth the bother."

James stood in shock as she turned abruptly and hopped back to her friends, the tips of her hair brushing his face as she went. Sirius clapped James on the shoulder in a brotherly manner and followed James' line of sight. "You know what Remus would say if he was here, right?"

"What?" James asked in a hollow voice.

"Wormtail?" Sirius prompted.

"'That's probably an indication that she's not interested, Prongs,'" Peter chirped happily.

"That's right," Sirius confirmed, nodding. "I've admitted it before, Prongs, she's a vixen, and I can see why she allures you so, but let her be. The solemn land of Those Who Have Been Denied Once and For All is calling you. Penny's there already, at least you'll have a friend."

"That wasn't a denial," James scoffed, striding ahead of Sirius and Peter, who rushed to catch up.

"Have you gone completely round the bend?" Sirius asked as though asking a sincere question, though he was grinning at James' never-fail denial mechanism. "She said you weren't worth the bother of arguing with. Before, I even agreed that she probably had the hots for you just judging on how fired up she got when she argued with you, but that was just cold. What could you have possibly--"

"She called me James," he stated simply, shrugging and grinning.

Sirius gaped incredulously, bringing a hand up swiftly to his forehead as though to smack it but redirecting it at the last minute and clonking James upside the head. James barely flinched. "He's a goner," Sirius confided to Peter, who nodded grimly.

"Off in Lala-Lily Land," Wormtail added.

Sirius and Peter made a game of trying to bring James back to reality as they made the final approach down to Hogsmeade. It was only once they were inside the Three Broomsticks that James was jolted out of his reverie by the appearance of dungbombs and fireworks on the table.

"Did you bring the Cloak?" Sirius asked excitedly, trying to figure out the best way to position the dungbomb on the firework for maximum dung explosion.

"'Course," James said, watching Sirius work with amusement. "So what does the execution look like?"

"See the bushes outside the post office?" James nodded. "You tie these together, one of us in the Cloak positions them in said bushes so the wicks are easily accessible from a public area, and then when everyone's gathered 'round to go back up to the school, someone sets them off and voila! It will rain poo."

"Plus there'll be fireworks," Peter added as James laughed at Sirius' glee.

"That'll give us a fair distraction to transform too, we may as well stay in town and give Moony a bit of company early," James realized.

"Good thinking, Prongs, we'll even have been accounted for after that point," Sirius said. "Okay, James, do the thing."

James muttered "_Incarcerous_", and ropes wound themselves around the firework and the dungbomb, strapping them securely together. Sirius grinned and stowed them back inside his robes for future use as Madam Evelyn brought them a trio of Butterbeers.

The day passed quickly; as it was the last Hogsmeade weekend of the year, Zonko's and Honeydukes were both packed with students the entire time. The Marauders, who knew they'd be back around the middle of June anyway, passed the time by enjoying the sunshine as they basked in a nearby field and ate strawberries that Sirius had nicked from the market up the way. Every once in a while, Lily would pass with a small group of friends. James, who was always riveted to the group each time they passed, eventually took his eyes off Lily long enough to recognize one of the girls to be the shy but pretty Penny. Penny had kept making moves on Moony to his complete oblivion until the Marauders had pointed it out to him, at which point he'd flat out told her "no" and gone on his merry way. James smirked as he remembered Sirius' exclamation of "are you_ MAD_?" and the bickering that had gone on between the two of them for weeks afterwards. He saw Penny glancing repeatedly over to the three of them in the field, looking out for Remus as the girls retreated into the Three Broomsticks. James felt desperately sorry for her. Remus was too stubborn; she really didn't have a single cha--

And all at once, James wondered if he and Penny really _were_ in the solemn land of Those Who Have Been Denied Once and For All together.

Screams ripped through the air.

James was the first to his feet; he whipped his wand out of his pocket and looked quickly to Sirius to make sure he hadn't hallucinated. Sirius stood slowly with a look of concern and helped Peter, who had apparently been paralyzed with fear, to his feet. Sirius took out his wand as well, and the pair of them ran through the field and down the road, a hesitant Peter trailing behind them.

The Dark Mark hung in the air over the main road. Robed figures were looting shops and homes; many of the kids who had been waiting to be taken back to the castle lay in the road, limbs splayed every which way, eyes staring emptily into nothing.

"Peter, take the Cloak and help the injured!" James shouted, searching for the Invisibility Cloak in his robes and throwing it to Wormtail. He knew Wormtail was neither especially skilled with a wand nor particularly brave, but he also knew that he had a compassionate heart, and that he'd do what he could to help people. James, in the meantime, panned the area and tried to figure out which area needed the most help while Sirius stunned an incoming Death Eater.

"Prongs," Sirius shouted over the commotion, pointing behind them with his wand. James looked where he was pointing and saw two of the hooded figures inside the Three Broomsticks. He briefly saw Lily's face, her features etched with horror, before bright green light filled the pub.

"Lily!" James shouted, running as fast as his legs would take him. He could hear Sirius running just behind him; he turned sharply and ran into the pub, wand at the ready. "_Stupefy_!" he yelled immediately upon entry, pointing his wand at the nearest Death Eater who, caught by surprise, didn't have time to react and hit the ground hard. Sirius was engaged in battle with the other one; James stepped over a pair of bodies on the floor, one of whom he recognized to be Madam Evelyn the barmaid, and went to help his friend in the fight. The pair of them promptly made short work of Death Eater with the non-verbal spells Snivellus had been kind enough to introduce them to; James taught Sirius the spell for producing ropes and went to address to the terrified crowd that had compacted in the back of the bar.

"We've got to get everyone out of here, it isn't safe," James shouted as an explosion sounded from the other side of town. "We're going to group you out in the field just up the road until we can find an alternative."

"That's suicide!" proclaimed one of Lily's friends. James caught Lily's eye; she looked pale and scared, but otherwise unharmed.

"It's not," Lily stated loudly. "They came in here looking for Evelyn, remember? They're probably here for specific people, and we just..." Lily swallowed. "We just got in the way. We stand a better chance if we're not in a structure."

"Couldn't have said it better," James said as Sirius joined him. "Now everyone follow Sirius, stick together and don't do anything rash. And mate," James added as he turned to Sirius, "put Evans in charge once you're at the field and keep rounding the younger ones up. Stun a Death Eater if you see one, but focus on getting the students out of the line of fire, all right?" Sirius nodded and looked as though he was about to open his mouth to say something, but before he could, James had stolen a last glance at Lily and dashed out the door.

"Wait!" James heard a few voices shout after him. He didn't wait, however; he heard Sirius address the people nervously as he emerged back in the town.

The scene, which he had not allowed himself to take in before, was dreadful. People were being hung upside down in the air, nameless silhouettes against the setting sun; dwellings and shops alike were on fire, plumes of dark smoke filling the otherwise clear sky. Flashes of light came from every which direction; the town was in ruins. A couple of seventh years were running around in the streets, pulling the unconscious and the dead out of the street and trying to rennervate the ones they could. James looked briefly toward the Hog's Head and saw their old pal Aberforth holding his own against a pair of Death Eaters. James broke into a run and headed toward the east side of town which, judging by the more numerous plumes of smoke over there, needed the most assistance.

"_Stupefy_!" came a familiar voice behind him. James screeched to a stop and turned to see Lily running toward him, leaving the unconscious form of a Death Eater behind her.

"What are you doing?" James shouted at her over the sounds of screams and fire. "Go back! Stay with Sirius!"

Lily shook her head determinately, strands of hair falling out of her pony tail. James had seen that look on her face before; it was the same one she had used when he'd first begun his quest to gain her affection. It was a look that said she wasn't going to budge, regardless of what he said. "I want to help," she shouted back at him.

"Go back," he said again in a nearly pleading tone, looking her right in the eye. But Lily only shook her head again and started in the direction James had been running in.

_Redheads,_ James thought bitterly as he sprinted after her. She was already stunning when he caught up to her (_in action and in adjective_, he thought fleetingly), the red flashes of light hitting two of three Death Eaters who were standing side by side, each terrorizing their own subject. The third hooded figure was too quick; he let the villager fall the twenty feet to the ground and dodged the spell that Lily had shot at him, procuring a flash of light from the end of his wand.

"_Protego_!" James shouted, casting a shield around Lily. The spell deflected just inches in front of her and shot into the sky; the Death Eater reflexively watched it soar into the air and James took his chance, yelling "_Expelliarmus_!" The Death Eater's wand flew out of his hand and right into James'. James pocketed it and physically approached the Death Eater, grabbing him by the front of his robes and speaking in what he hoped was a low and threatening voice. "You don't harm her, understand me? Not ever. If I ever have the unfortunate occurrence of catching you trying to curse her again," James pushed the hood off the figure and was momentarily shocked to see he knew who it was, "_Malfoy, _you can feel certain that the last curse you'll hear from me will start with 'Avada' and end with 'Kedavra'." James let go of Malfoy and held his wand out in front of him as he backed up. "As it is, however, I'm not inclined to kill you simply because I don't like you, so..._ stupefy_!"

James turned to Lily as Lucius Malfoy fell to the ground. "Are you all right?" he shouted at her, waving his wand and dispelling the shield charm. She stared at him momentarily, mouth agape, but then came to herself and nodded, looking determined as she brushed past him and tied up the Death Eaters silently. James, meanwhile, sprinted off toward the nearest source of terror--

--and screeched to a halt, terrified, at the sight of the ghostly-white face of Voldemort. He was floating lazily in the middle of the road and training a stream of blue light on Professor McGonagall, who hung thirty feet in the air, limp. James felt the blood drain out of his face as he tried frantically to come up with a plan; other teachers lay at the sides of the road, stunned or dead. "Oh Merlin," Lily breathed beside him once having caught up to where he was. James looked momentarily at her before starting forward; her eyes widened, and she grasped his wrist tightly, holding him back. "You can't," she shouted, beckoning at the forms lining the street with her free hand. "Those were _fully grown wizards_, James. He'll kill you in an instant."

"In case you haven't noticed, that's McGonagall hanging in the air," James shouted back, anger coursing through his veins. "If there's a chance I can stop him from killing someone else today, it's worth the risk." He wrenched his wrist free of Lily's grip and strode forward, face determined, wand raised--

Blinding white light filled the air. James bounced off an invisible barrier and was forced to stop dead, still metres away from Voldemort. The light faded, and James blinked to see Dumbledore standing in the middle of the street, facing Voldemort with his wand raised.


	2. Chapter 2

Dumbledore immediately directed his wand up to McGonagall, casting yellow light to counter Voldemort's blue glare; Voldemort's spell shortly flickered and dissolved, leaving Dumbledore to guide McGonagall gently to the ground out of the line of fire. Dumbledore's features were livid with anger, but when he spoke, it was quite calmly. "Please leave," he requested politely. 

Voldemort's cruel laughter filled the air as he descended onto solid ground. "Did you really think I'd go upon simple request, Dumbledore? I'm afraid I've still got business," Voldemort sneered and waved a hand lazily, "to attend--"

"Terribly sorry," Dumbledore cut in, a slight smile upon his face, "but it wasn't you I was addressing, Tom." Dumbledore's fiery eyes flickered only momentarily to Lily and James before returning to Voldemort's face; Voldemort didn't seem to catch the movement, as seemed to be Dumbledore's intention. "Take the students and lead them back to the school, but do not take the roads. There is a safer alternative, once past the initial threat. I have the utmost faith that you are familiar enough with the portent so as to cope with it as per usual." Dumbledore continued to smile lightly; Lily and James understood that this was their instruction, though they did not move.

"Where are you sending your voice, Dumbledore? To your dear brother down the street?" Dumbledore continued to smile. "Dolohov!" Voldemort shouted, his quality of voice changing completely. "Seek the brother." He returned his gaze to Dumbledore, who was still smiling. "Why so amused, Dumbledore? I have just sent men to kill--"

"I assure you, Tom, your men have no chance of subduing Aberforth. He is a man of extraordinary stubbornness who wouldn't put up for a second with being killed. Go now," he added, with the air of someone who was commenting on the weather.

"Smart move, Dumbledore, telling him to run... maybe you're not quite as senile as you--"

"Actually Tom, that time I was talking to you. Leave this town. You have done enough damage here for one day."

"James," Lily whispered in his ear as Voldemort retorted, "ten more Death Eaters just apparated. We have to get everyone back to the castle... they're heading to the field... let's go..." James felt his arm being tugged; he reluctantly allowed his gaze to break with Dumbledore's eyes and stumbled quietly behind her. Moments later, Voldemort's cold, high voice sounded around their ears.

"_Crucio_."

Pain unlike anything James had ever known shot through his entire form; he screamed aloud, writhing--but then it was over, and he came to himself, lying in the street, panting beside Lily. 

"Effective," James heard Voldemort say in a slightly pained voice. "You do not shield them, but you echo what they feel unto me. Thus, I cannot kill them or I kill myself... I am forced to let them pass..." Voldemort laughed cruelly. "I would give you the benefit of being called 'clever', Dumbledore, but for the fact you thought you could fool me. All right, children, flee, attempt to save your fellow students. Be rest assured, however; once I have done away with your Headmaster, I will pursue you myself--"

"Isn't it time we duelled, Tom?" asked Dumbledore loudly but calmly.

James caught sight of the fury on Voldemort's face as he was cut across once again; he raised his wand and cast a spell soundlessly against Dumbledore, which he blocked easily. James was vaguely aware that Lily had pulled him to his feet and was dragging him frantically by the sleeve in the opposite direction. Finally, something in James' brain clicked; he took Lily's hand instinctively and sprinted toward the field. "_Kill the students_," Voldemort's cold voice echoed over the city. Lily glanced at James, face pale, eyes darting; her legs were pumping just as fast as his were. She clung tightly to his hand as they continued to run, and James understood that she was running more in fear than in inspiration of Dumbledore's orders. Finally, the scene unfolded: Sirius, Aberforth and a handful of seventh-years were duelling four Death Eaters, flocks of children huddled in the field behind them. A line of already unconscious Death Eaters lay in front of everyone. James let go of Lily's hand, and the two of them simultaneously stunned a pair of Death Eaters from behind, catching them unawares. Sirius caught sight of them, grinned, and left Aberforth to deal with the remaining hooded figures.

"'Bout time, Prongs, I was starting to think you'd gone over to the other side," Sirius shouted. Even in the dark, he looked in worse shape than James felt; he had deep gashes on his forehead and cheeks, and his left arm hung limply at his side. All the same, he was smiling, obviously genuinely relieved to see James was all right. 

"We have to get everyone out of the Hogsmeade. Voldemort's here," James panted, clutching at a stitch in his side. All his limbs seemed to ache; he wondered dimly if it was a result of the Cruciatus curse he'd just been on the receiving end of.

Sirius' jaw dropped. "Here?"

James nodded. "Dumbledore's facing off with him; he told Evans and I to get everyone out. We've got to... where's Peter?"

Sirius shook his head grimly. "Haven't seen him."

The blood drained from James' face. "Okay, take everyone and get them into the Shrieking Shack, then--"

"Are you mad?" Sirius cut in. "There are much easier ways to get back to Hogwarts, like, oh, say, the roads."

"Dumbledore said no," James said, scanning the landscape for any indication of his invisible friend. "There are probably Death Eaters just waiting for us. I don't know if you heard Voldemort's orders a minute ago--"

"Kill the students?" Sirius asked.

"Right. They probably know about a lot of the secret passages, and most of them are on the side of town where Voldemort is right now, whereas the Shack is right there," James said, pointing up the hill to the dark structure. "Dumbledore specifically said that the safest way is through the most familiar passage. So, mate, I know you're injured, but do you think you could keep Moony at bay while Evans gets everyone down into the tunnel?"

Sirius nodded. "I should manage. What are you going to do?"

"Find Wormtail."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Lily interjected, stepping forward angrily and pointing a finger in James' face. "You two seem to know what you're talking about with the Shrieking Shack and all that even though it sounds like complete gibberish to the rest of us, but now you're talking about going out there _again_ after You-Know-Who said he was going to hunt you down personally. I can entertain your stupidity to a limit, Potter, but the odds are that Pettigrew's dead. I'm not going to let you risk your life again."

"Glad to hear I've got everyone's confidence," a voice grumbled from behind James. James turned to regard Peter, half-smiling, holding out the silvery cloak to James. James grinned and clapped Peter on the shoulder; he opened his mouth to say something when Aberforth shouted behind them. 

"Why are you still standing here?" he yelled, finally stunning the last Death Eater and rolling up his sleeves in preparation for battle with the next wave of four that were heading up the road. "Get the students up to the damned castle!"

James nodded curtly and waved at the crowd. Some people were crying while others comforted; others were sitting in the fetal position, rocking back and forth; others still, James was relieved to find, seemed perfectly together. "Oi! I know you're all scared, but I--_we're_ acting on Dumbledore's orders to get you up to the castle safely. I need everyone to do their best to pull themselves together and form two lines; stay close and, even if we seem crazy, trust us. We've got a plan, but you won't like it."

"How do we know you're not Death Eaters?" one boy asked near the back of the drove. 

"We've kept you safe this long, haven't we?" James asked. No one questioned him after that. James nodded and turned to Lily, putting a hand gently on her shoulder and looking her in the eye.

"I know you won't like me ordering you around, but I need you to organize two groups of witches and wizards that are of age; one group to lead and one group to bring up the tail, prepared to curse any Death Eaters who might try to follow. I need you to lead; you're a Prefect, and you're good at it, people trust you to lead them. I'll head the back group."

Lily nodded, but her green eyes were still full of fear. "Are you sure the Shrieking Shack is our only option?"

James smiled grimly and hoped desperately she didn't think he was making fun of her. "Sirius will take care of the only horror that'll come our way. Trust us, we've had practice," he assured her and headed off to usher the students into lines.

Dumbledore must have done a good job of keeping Voldemort busy, and Aberforth must have held his own against the Death Eaters, because only a pair of the hooded figures attacked the procession of students on their way up to the Shrieking Shack, which James, Frank Longbottom and Kingsley Shacklebolt made short work of. As James had suspected, most students seemed eventually more willing to undertake the horrors of the Shack than they were to go back and face the horrors back in Hogsmeade. Some, on the other hand, decided there was no way they'd ever set foot in the Shack and stood outside its boundaries until a large, shaggy black dog with a severe limp in one paw growled in the shadows behind them, at which point they scurried up to the Shack and seemed to decide that they'd probably be all right as long as they stuck with their fellow students.

James closed the door to the Shack once everyone had been ushered inside, waving his wand and magically nailing the boards back into the wood as fast as possible. Everyone was huddled, cramped, in the hallway. The noises coming from the Shack had been masked by the destruction in town; now, however, they sounded clearly in everyone's ears. There was the occasional tremor beneath their feet; Lupin was clearly having trouble without his friends to keep him in check. James suppressed his guilt and pressed a finger to his lips to indicate silence to the masses; he beckoned to the black dog that had followed them in and sent him through a door at the end of the hall, which James had pushed open just far enough to admit the dog's slender frame. The dog seemed to steel itself before entering the room, which he did briskly but still tendering his front left paw. James quickly shut the door behind the dog and locked it with his wand before indicating to Lily that she should lead them down the stairs.

James braced himself for the moment when Lupin would catch a whiff of the dozens of humans inside the Shack, and it came as he was following the last third-year down the stairs. Moony's growls suddenly turned much more vicious; there was the sound of splintering wood, followed by a loud growl from Sirius and a heavy thump that indicated the two of them were in combat. James paused momentarily at the bottom of the stairs as Lily looked to him for direction. He glanced up at the ceiling, where another thump was causing dust to fall through and cover them lightly. Some of the smaller kids screamed, and James decided that getting them out was a bigger priority than subduing Remus. He nodded Lily forward into the next room, but caught hold of Peter's collar and dragged him back as the students started to file into the underground passage that would lead them back to Hogwarts.

"Sirius needs help," James whispered. "Can you transform and help him by acting distraction?" Peter stared at James, eyes darting nervously, but eventually nodded. He headed hesitantly back up the stairs behind James and immediately morphed into a rat, a form which James knew he was more comfortable in. James piled in after the last kid and closed the door behind him, turning and walking down the familiar passageway with a sincere feeling of foreboding.


	3. Chapter 3

After half an hour of walking, James was wrenched out of his thoughts as Lily lagged behind and caught stride with him at the back of the procession. "Is it safe to talk now?" she asked him a low voice.

He smiled dimly and nodded. "Good," she started, "because I have a bone to pick with you, James Potter."

James groaned. "Is this the time?"

"Do you see?" she exploded suddenly. Students stopped and looked back at them; she blushed slightly and reverted her tone to a stage-whisper. "Do you see now what a terror you've caused?"

"I've caused?" he asked, his own temper wearing thin. "Have you honestly made some connection in that twisted mind of yours between me and Voldemort's attack? Do you really--"

"I don't mean the attack, I mean the so-called pranks you and your friends pull," she interrupted, though her tone took a less harsh tone. "Lifting people into the air by their ankles... cursing them solely for the purposes of your own amusement... it goes beyond bullying, Potter, it's absolutely bloody despicable, and I hope to Merlin that you understand now that _it isn't funny_, not in the least."

"I do," James responded, his voice coming from low in this throat. He watched his feet and didn't look at Lily. "I do understand now. That's why I was so reluctant to leave anyone behind, that's why I made the idiotic move of trying to conquer Voldemort by myself. I didn't... didn't realize..." James shook his head. "I hope you understand that I never meant it the way those people did."

"Yes you did," Lily protested. James' head snapped over; he looked her directly in the eye and pretended not to notice that she recoiled at what she saw in his.

"I never caused anyone serious harm," he snarled, ignoring Lily's attempt to fit a word in, "except Snape, and I am the first person to admit that. Even Snape... Sirius pulled a 'prank' on him last year that involved sending him down this passageway, oblivious to where it lead and what he would meet on the other side. I stopped him, Lily. I saved his _life_. So the next time you go about comparing me to a Death Eater, kindly don't confuse the term 'Marauder' with 'murderer', because while I am well aware I have done despicable things in the name of mischief, I will die before I join Voldemort's cause."

Lily's retort died in her throat. She walked beside James in silence; after a few moments, she cleared her throat and spoke hesitantly but clearly. "I have a few questions to ask, and I fully expect the truth."

"Okay," he said resignedly. He was too tired to argue with her. Besides, if truth was what she wanted, James would certainly give it to her. "Question away."

This seemed to catch her by surprise; she had expected to launch into the question in the middle of an argument, and she hadn't thought it through how to ask her inquiries politely. "I don't pretend to know a lot about the Dark Arts, but I'm fairly certain that whatever was in the Shrieking Shack wasn't a poltergeist."

"A very astute observation," James confirmed, nodding. Lily seemed absolutely stunned by the casual tone of his answers, and it showed on her face.

"So what was it?" she asked eventually.

"A werewolf," James said, finally smiling, and she knew she'd broken the tension. "That's why the Shack is only _actively_ haunted at full moon."

Lily smacked a hand to her forehead. "I cannot believe I didn't make that connection," she murmured to herself. It took all James had not to pull her into a hug; having Evans talking to herself with him standing right there was probably the most endearing thing he'd seen her do. And she was a very endearing person to observe. "Do you know the werewolf?" she asked him.

James forced his gaze forward again as he nodded. "So do you," he said cryptically, knowing how pleased she'd be if she figured it out by herself. She contemplated this for a moment before shaking her head and changing tacks.

"You said Sirius was going to take care of it, but Sirius was nowhere in sight when we entered the Shack."

"Sure he was," James said, really starting to enjoy himself. "You just weren't looking hard enough."

"Potter," she said slowly and deliberately. "It has been a very long day. My patience is wearing thin. I'm tired, I'm scared, and all I want are answers to at least _some_ of the questions I have, and I know you know the answers I'm looking for, so just--" her voice cracked on the last word and she paused, looking up at him and catching his eye. "Please," she asked in a whisper.

James' smile faded; he brought a hand up and touched her cheek with the back of his finger before removing it immediately for love of his hand. Lily didn't threaten to amputate his appendages as was usual procedure when he made a gesture, however, but instead looked away and reinitiated her interrogation. "Is... is Sirius the werewolf?" she asked in the strained voice she used when she was trying to work something out.

He smiled again and shook his head. "Sirius was the dog."

"Sirius... what?"

"He's an unregistered Animagus. So am I, actually," he added offhandedly, not in an attempt to show off but more to recognize her desire for the truth. "And Peter. We've been working on it since first year, because..." James hesitated. "Because we made friends with Remus."

"Oh my God," she groaned suddenly. "Moony. That's why you call Remus Moony... and Sirius is Padfoot... Peter's called Wormtail, isn't he, that would make him a rodent of some kind..."

"A rat," James clarified.

"And you. Prongs. What sort...?" She seemed unable to finish the question; she only looked at him with wonder. James grinned down at her, unable to help himself from basking in her attention.

"A stag. I can transform into a stag."

Lily gaped. "How long have you been able to..." she trailed off for lack of verb.

"A little over a year," he estimated, shrugging in an attempt to sound offhand but unable to wipe the grin off his face. "We come down through here to keep Moony company every month. He gets pretty destructive; having... er... creature comforts around calms him down." He grinned wider at his own pun and glanced down at her to catch a smile forming on her features, too; a second later, though, it was gone, replaced by an apparently forced look of exasperation. Lily's questions seemed to be answered, however; the two of them walked together in silence until fresh air hit them.

"Oh balls," James said suddenly, pushing his way through the mass. "Stop!" he yelled forward; the leading group of seventh years halted in their paces and let James through. Lily, unable to help herself, followed him and nearly ran into him as he stopped and stared out the opening.

"What's the matter?"

"I knew there was a reason I shouldn't have sent Wormtail back, now we'll never get out of here..."

"Why?" Lily asked, but her question was answered as a large branch swooped low in front of the entrance, swatting at nothing in particular. "James... James, are we underneath the Whomping Willow?"

"We are," he muttered.

"Oh balls," she echoed, then winced. "Forget I said that," she said at James' amused grin. "But what does Peter have to do with it?"

"There's... there's a knot on the outside of the tree where if you press it, the whole tree freezes. Peter's small enough to avoid the branches, but any of us would get absolutely sodding butchered if we went out there."

"Are you... um... smaller once you've...?"

"'Bout the same size, only... you know, different-shaped."

Lily nodded, stepping forward. "Give me a boost up."

"What? No way! No sodding way."

"I'm smaller than you are. I'll hit the knot and--"

"Did you hear me say the bit about getting butchered? That tree will effing slice you in half, Lily. You survived Death Eaters and sodding Voldemort himself today; I'm not going to let you get killed now by a tree." Lily looked up at James, shocked at his outburst. James felt a bubble of pride growing in his stomach as she stared at him, open-mouthed, but the bubble burst as he noticed that it was annoyance in her expression rather than affection.

"_Fine_, evil genius. What do you suggest?" Her tone had gone back to dripping its all-too-familiar Lilyvenom. Even so, James thought, he'd gotten in a good three hours of Lily-filled time in which there had been little to no indignance. Got to be a record.

"I don't know," James said, running a hand through his hair, forcing his thoughts back to the task at hand. "I... I think the only chance we've got is if I transform. I'm heavier and stronger as a stag, and probably faster... though I've never actually raced myself," he added, grinning in his attempt to gain Lily's good humour back. She rolled her eyes as was the usual custom when he cracked a joke, but her expression did soften. "Can you distract everyone while I transform?" he asked her.

"Can't you use that Cloak you're so terribly fond of?" she asked.

James was shocked. He didn't think Lily had any idea of what the Cloak did, and was frankly even surprised that she cared enough to notice he_ had_ a Cloak with him. "Not while I transform, I absorb all my clothing. It wouldn't cover me completely either, so if the Willow _did_ take me out, someone would walk by and see Patches of Stag lying on the ground, which frankly can't pleasant even on the days when you _haven't_ narrowly escaped death."

"All right, then," Lily muttered resignedly and turned away from James, taking her wand out of her robes. "Be careful," she added almost inaudibly at the last minute. James' heart soared as Lily called attention to the waiting students behind her and shot fireworks out of the end of her wand back down toward the other end of the passageway. Everyone's head turned in unison to watch the brilliant lights dance around; James meanwhile forced his muscles and bones to shift to take the form of a stag. He took a deep breath, stepped back, glanced once more at Lily, and jumped the gap from the ground to the tunnel's entrance in one.

Prongs dashed forward through the branches as quickly as his limbs would take him. He evaded the first few with ease, dashing in a zigzag to avoid the tree's blows, but one particularly thick branch suddenly caught him in the ribs as he was about to make his escape to safety. Prongs flew through the air and landed hard on his side; he felt the searing pain of an open cut as he scrambled clumsily to his feet. He was clear of the flailing branches, however; he glanced around before transforming back into human form to ensure that no one was watching, and quickly picked up a nearby twig.

"Send them up one at a time, I'll help them up," James said down to Lily once he'd frozen the branches, extending a hand. She quickly disappeared the fireworks, which she had discovered had a calming effect on the panicked students and helped the youngest students through first. James instructed them firmly to stay well clear of the tree and prodded the knot with the twig with each passing student to ensure there were no further casualties. Finally they all stood on the grounds, huddled close as had been the case in Hogsmeade, and there was only Lily to get out. "Listen, I'm going back to help Padfoot," James told her as he helped her to her feet. "He was already in bad shape, I shouldn't have left him--"

But James was interrupted by a triumphant bark coming from not too far down the passageway. Sirius came limping into view as James peered back down the hole. Sirius barked again in inquiry as to the status of the branches. "It's all right, I've frozen them," James said, and stepped back to allow Sirius to jump through.

Professor McGonagall was rushing down from the castle as James and Sirius finally got clear of the tree. She looked sincerely frazzled, but seemed to have otherwise escaped serious harm; she immediately began ushering the students up to the castle. James, Lily and Padfoot followed, but were addressed harshly by McGonagall upon their entry into the Entrance Hall. "Potter, Evans, Black, stay where you are," she ordered before joining the assorted staff, gathered to help diagnose injuries and comfort students. James and Sirius exchanged a glance; did McGonagall know that he was an Animagus?

"Oh!" Lily said, pointing with concern at James' side as they waited. He'd forgotten about his injury until she'd pointed it out. Blood was soaked through his robes; he prodded the gash gingerly through the rip in the fabric and winced as pain shot through his torso. He looked up at Lily with a hesitant smile, thinking she'd be smirking at his own stupidity, but to his surprise, she punched him in the shoulder, looking furious.

"Ow," he said sincerely, massaging his shoulder. "What've I done this time?"

"I told you to be careful!" Then, out of the blue, she burst into tears and turned away from him, covering her face. James was stunned. He extended a hand to comfort her, but Sirius growled beside him.

"What's your problem, then?" he asked the dog moodily. But James was suddenly struck by the dreadful shape Sirius was in; scratches covered his entire form, the most serious ones around his face and snout. One of his eyes was bloodshot, and he was favouring not one but two paws as he lay gingerly down on the cold stone tiles. James frowned and crouched beside the dog, scanning him over for any evidence of a werewolf bite. Relieved when he didn't find one, James patted the dog gently on the head and stood to see McGonagall striding across the hall toward them. Lily had turned back around and seemed to have herself composed, puffy eyes aside.

"Where's Black?" McGonagall asked, frowning as she got closer.

James suppressed a smile of relief and looked down at Sirius beside him. "He's looking pretty beat up, Professor; I think he said something about going outside for air. I'll just go fetch him," James said, whistling as he walked back out the main doors to indicate to the dog to follow him. James stood just out of sight outside the castle doors as Sirius transformed; Sirius looked, if possible, even worse for the wear in human form that he had in canine form. "Are you all right, mate?" James asked him honestly.

Sirius nodded, though immediately brought his right hand up to his neck as he did so. Nodding was obviously a painful action. "I should survive the night. Where's Wormtail?"

James stared. "He wasn't with you?"

"No... why would he be?"

"I sent him back to help you with Moony," James stated.

Sirius shook his head. "I never saw him."

James and Sirius exchanged a frown, leaving their mutual concerns unvoiced. James finally shook his head and beckoned that they go back inside; he lead the way, allowing Sirius to limp in after him.

McGonagall gasped. "What on earth happened to you, Black?"

Sirius swallowed and thought fast. "A Death Eater bewitched the post office to come after me," he said huskily. James was impressed; it did indeed look like hundreds of owls had tried to tear him to pieces, though he hoped McGonagall wouldn't notice how some of the scratches were perfectly parallel to the ones next to them. As was before when she'd seen Sirius as the dog, however, her usually astute observation skills seemed to have suffered at the hands of Voldemort.

"Go see Madam Pomfrey," McGonagall ordered, now looking pale. "Professor Dumbledore wished to speak with you, but I daresay he'll come see you in the Hospital Wing in due time." Sirius nodded and hobbled off, left arm still hanging limply at his side, though he glanced momentarily behind him and winked at James as he turned the corner. James grinned, knowing that Sirius was all too pleased to be visiting Poppy. "As for you two," McGonagall started curtly. "Do either of you need to visit the Hospital Wing? Potter, is that gash--"

"I'm fine, Professor," he interrupted hastily.

McGonagall nodded. "Follow me, then," she said, again curtly. Lily and James exchanged a glance. Surely they weren't about to be punished?

"We did just lead most of the student body away from danger and brought them to safety, right?" he whispered to Lily for confirmation. She nodded, but didn't respond. McGonagall had led them up two flights of stairs and had now stopped in front of a stone gargoyle; she seemed momentarily unable to remember what the password was, but eventually muttered something that made the gargoyle spring to life and step aside.

"Professor Dumbledore is expecting you," she said curtly, blinking heavily. "If you'll pardon me, I am feeling somewhat under the weather. Please explain this to the Professor as you enter."

James was frowning at her with concern. The two of them had butted heads a lot (on a weekly basis would probably not be a misguided statement), but James had grown quite fond of McGonagall and the occasional amusement she showed at some of their pranks. He brought a hand out and caught her arm; he noticed another, more delicate hand touch McGonagall's arm at the same time. Without looking at one another, James and Lily asked simultaneously, "Are you all right?"

She smiled dimly at the pair of Gryffindors in front of her. "I imagine so. It's been a rather stressful day," she confided before turning and walking slowly back down the staircase.

"Are you going up, or can I go back to sleep?" the gargoyle wheezed behind them. James came to himself and hung back, beckoning Lily through the entrance first with a gigantic sweeping gesture of his arm. She rolled her eyes at his pretentious attempt at chivalry, but started forward through the archway with a hint of a smile on her face.

"Come in," came Dumbledore's familiar voice from behind the door after Lily knocked. She shot James an anxious look and pushed the door open. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, looking quite unharmed, and twirled a peculiar silver object around in his hand. He smiled at the pair as they entered, beckoning at a pair of chairs in front of him. "Where is Professor McGonagall?" he asked quietly as they sat down.

"She was feeling under the weather," came Lily's shaky voice.

"Ah," said Dumbledore, nodding. "I am not surprised. I will check on her later. And Sirius?"

"Hospital wing," James muttered. "The--uh--Shrieking Shack didn't treat him well."

Dumbledore nodded again. "Is he all right?"

"Scratched up, but no bites as far as I could tell," James said. He knew Dumbledore knew they were all Animagi, but neither party had acknowledged it out loud; Dumbledore's earlier warning had been the most acknowledgement either one had given to Lupin's situation.

"And you have informed Miss Evans of the situation?" he prompted, though James got the sincere impression that he already knew the answer, and was asking out of formality only.

"Yes, sir," she confirmed for him. He nodded and smiled. He pressed his fingertips together and regarded the students sitting in front of him with a sort of amusement. "You may speak your minds," he granted.

"What happened with Voldemort?" James blurted before he could stop himself. To his surprise, Dumbledore continued to smile in his self-satisfied manner.

"He does have access to some rather formidable magics," Dumbledore conceded, "however, forgive me for saying, as do I. We fought out of formality; he is already aware that we are of roughly equal magical ability. He could have Disapparated at the beginning of the battle, and the outcome would have been the same as it was."

"How many died?" Lily asked in a whisper before James could interject with another question.

"Three Hogwarts students; the Hogsmeade casualties have not yet been calculated."

"Only?" James asked incredulously. "I mean, that's a huge relief, but there were kids all over the streets..."

"Many of them were merely cursed," Dumbledore said. "The Death Eaters were indeed there for specific individuals. Students who got in the way were toyed with for the amusement of the Death Eaters; had Voldemort not called them off, there is no telling how many deaths there would have been." Dumbledore paused. "I should not say that all of the students who were cursed will recover. There were many Hogwarts casualties, and it is important that we recognize that. Are there any more questions?"

James thought for a moment, but shook his head, and saw Lily doing the same beside him. Dumbledore nodded curtly and moved abruptly forward in his chair, leaning over his desk. He was no longer smiling; the twinkle in his eye seemed to have been temporarily extinguished.

"You have both acted very foolishly today," he said in a calm tone, although there was no mistaking the anger emanating from his features. "I am appalled that you would think you could conquer Voldemort on your own, that you believed two thoroughly inexperienced sixth-year Hogwarts students could do what teams of Aurors could not. You intentionally led yourself into harm's way. It is by sheer luck that you are sitting here in front of me."

James and Lily were stunned that they were indeed getting the third degree, though they were both willing to take the criticism. James, however, could remain silent only for so long. "I agree, sir, but given the situation again, I'd have done the exact same thing," he muttered into his robes.

"And why is that, James?" Dumbledore asked, now with a tone of harshness in his words.

"Because it was the_ only_ thing to do," he said more clearly, raising his head. "There was no way I was going to just stand there and watch people get blown away. If I can help them, I'm going to bloody well help them. Sitting back and _letting_ Voldemort torture people is enabling him on his path of destruction. I've done it once, and there's no sodding way I'm going to do it again."

James saw Lily's head snap in his direction, but he kept his eyes focused on Dumbledore's. "Perhaps you don't understand Voldemort's claim--" he started.

"Oh, I understand," James spat bitterly. "He's going to do whatever he can to kill me just because you saw me as someone to save. But my home is already under the Fidelius Charm. Every time I leave the house, I have to wear my Invisibility Cloak in case Voldemort recognizes me as my father's son and follows me home. I am used to it, sir, and if that's the price to pay in exchange for fighting evil, then I say bring it on."

He did not break eye contact with Dumbledore, even though he wanted desperately to know what Lily's expression was. He had expected her to gasp or hit him or... do something, anything, at his words, but he heard no noise from her; in fact, though she was staring at him, she didn't seem to be having any reaction at all. Then, finally, she opened her mouth and said matter-of-factedly, "I agree, sir."

Now James looked.

"I see," Dumbledore said. He had resumed his passive tone; he was leaning back in his chair again, and had again pressed his fingertips together in a contemplative manner. "You are both of age, correct?"

James cocked an eyebrow reflexively, as this seemed to be a very odd question, but nodded slowly. Lily did the same beside him.

"There is an organization," Dumbledore said slowly, "called the Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort is not aware that this organization exists, and it is integral that it remains this way. It is chiefly composed of Aurors and other wizards who are equally as devoted to fighting Voldemort. It is very important that you are able to promise me, in all honesty, that if I inform you of this organization, you will not tell another soul." Dumbledore glanced momentarily at the silver object on his desk before returning his gaze to the students in front of him. "Can you make that promise?"

James looked over at Lily. Her red hair hung limply around her face and she was covered in dirt, but as she glanced at James and smiled with an expression of hope, James knew what the answer was, and knew she did as well.

"Yes, sir," they said simultaneously. Dumbledore smiled and launched into his explanation.

The sun had started to rise by the time Dumbledore had finished. He dismissed them from his office, but stopped them before they descended down the staircase.

"You have both saved a great number of lives today," Dumbledore said. "Your deeds will not go unrecognized. It is an understatement to say that I am very proud." He paused, and the weight of these words fell upon them.

"Professor?" Lily said timidly, halted at the top of the stairs. "I, er... why did you let... _him_ use the Cruciatus curse on us?"

"Hey, yeah," James proclaimed, turning back to face Dumbledore. Lily, predictably, rolled her eyes.

Dumbledore smiled. "I was wondering when one of you was going to ask me that question." He looked downcast at the silvery object on the table once more before returning his gaze to the students. "It is impossible to fight _against_ something unless one can fully understand what it is they are fighting _for_. I am sorry for allowing you to be hurt, but I... felt it was necessary." For the first time that James had ever seen, Dumbledore was hesitating. "For your inclusion in the Order, it was necessary."

James and Lily walked back to the Gryffindor common room without a word. They said the password together, trudged in through the portrait hole, and stopped in front of their respective staircases.

"Goodnight, James," Lily said tiredly, without looking at him.

"Goodnight, Lily," he returned.

James strode up to his dormitory with a sleepy smile on his face. For all that had happened today, the only thing James could think about as he fell asleep in the empty room was how glad he was that he and Lily were finally on a first-name basis.

* * *

**A/N:**_ The next chapter will be rather lighter, promise. :)  
Thank you for all the fantastic feedback I've been getting; I honestly didn't expect such a response._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**_ Marauding moments! I don't think I wrote Remus very well, and Sirius is very grumpy, but I'm pretty happy about James' thoughts. What are yours?_

* * *

_September, 1977_"Oi, Head Boy!" Sirius shouted down the corridor, peering into an empty compartment. James grinned and caught up with him, slipping through the door and stowing his bags overhead. He and Padfoot slumped down into adjascent seats as Remus and Peter turned the corner, Remus with an extremely bored expression on his face and Peter happily talking up a storm behind him. 

"And then He Who Must Not Be Named--"

"Voldemort," the other three corrected automatically.

"--came up to me, and he was all, I'm going to kill you, and I was all, I don't think so, and I tried to curse him--"

"Whoa, Wormtail, you get a little action in without our knowing about it?" Sirius asked, impressed.

"If only," Remus said, deadpan. "This was a _dream_ he had."

"Ah," Sirius said, nodding as though he should have known. 

"--but his big, shiny teeth reflected the spell back at me, and then he turned into a bat and got caught in my hair and I screamed and screamed and then I woke up," he finished happily, looking very proud of himself for some reason.

"You didn't get out much over the summer, did you, Wormtail?" James asked, messing up his hair reflexively.

"Well... I saw you guys, didn't I?"

"Mmhmm, a total of two weeks out of the entire holiday." Sirius was nodding knowingly again. "You didn't happen to get your paws on some Muggle films and watch them over and over, now, did you Wormy?"

"What gave it away?" he asked, looking downtrodden.

"You had a dream that Voldemort was Dracula," Remus said, now looking amused. He looked odd, James realized, sitting back in the seat as he was; he didn't have his nose in a book for once. He looked at ease.

Wormtail looked off distantly. "I knew I knew the bat thing from somewhere."

James chuckled and opened his mouth to retort, but his words died in his throat as the door slid open and Lily poked her head around the corner.

"Hey guys," she said, smiling. "Okay if I come sit? All the other compartments are full."

James grinned. This was rather different from _last_ year on the Hogwarts Express...

_James saw red hair and green eyes peer into the cabin before the eyes widened and disappeared rapidly in the other direction. He dashed out into the corridor, cutting Sirius off mid-sentence. "Evans!" he shouted after her. She stopped at an extreme reluctance; she couldn't even ignore him because his voice was so damned loud. "If you're looking for a compartment to sit in, mine's virtually empty, there's plenty of room..."_

_"I wouldn't get into any enclosed space with you or your disgusting friends if Death Eaters were chasing me with 'Avada Kedavra' on the tips of their tongues and all other exits were cemented shut, Potter," she'd retorted, turning swiftly and dashing into the next car._

Yep. This was James' time to shine. 

"No, you absolutely cannot 'come sit'," Sirius said immediately.

James slapped him upside the head.

"Of course you can," Remus said over him, smiling kindly.

Lily grinned. "Thanks," she said, throwing her things next to James' and sitting next to Remus.

Sirius grumbled something under his breath about "Marauders only" and "six years of tradition down the tubes" and "a girl in the last compartment of the train I mean really". James slapped him upside the head again to make him shut up. "Will you stop doing that?" he said moodily, trying to reposition his dark hair just perfectly in his reflection in the window.

"So how've your last two weeks been, Head Girl?" James asked her perhaps a bit more loudly than he should have just to cover up Sirius' continued mumblings.

"Boring as scheduled, Head Boy" she replied, grimacing at her words. "I decided it probably wasn't a good idea to leave the house, so I stayed in. I mostly read Hogwarts: A History a few times and watched most of my parents' Dracula collection."

Peter gaped at her, impressed. Remus probably would have done the same if he hadn't been momentarily distracted by James' Head Boy badge, and if James hadn't noticed. "Sorry, Moony," he said for probably the thousandth time since he'd gotten the badge in the mail.

"Don't be," he said hastily. "You deserve it after what happened in May. What did I do? Beat up Sirius," he said apologetically, beckoning at the grumblemonster beside James.

"It's just..." James prompted, grinning.

Remus rolled his eyes, but smiled. They'd already been over this; Remus was over it, but he liked to make James feel guilty, even if it was just pretend. "You weren't even prefect. Now all of a sudden you're Head Boy? What kind of a just society do we live in? Not one, obviously."

"There. Don't you feel better?"

"Yes, thank you," he replied, now grinning. "Although later on we might have to go over again how unreasonable you were to tell Lily about my secret without my permission."

"My rest-of-summer was boring too, thank you for asking," Sirius said loudly, obviously still moody about Lily's presence in the Marauder's compartment. "I hate being under the Fidelius Charm. There's all this _being careful_ and_ not getting into trouble_. Why'd you two have to go and get yourselves put on Voldemort's hit list anyway?"

"Not enough girls and almost no pranking has left him very cranky," James confided, rolling his eyes. "Too bad he's run away from his own home and has gotten himself addicted to my mother's cooking. Otherwise we could send him off and be rid of him forever." 

"Har har," he said sarcastically and resumed looking moodily out of the window.

Lily laughed. "What about you, Remus?"

Lupin shrugged. "A night in a cage, but otherwise nothing to report."

Sirius and Peter both gasped at Remus. "You were in_ jail_?" Peter asked.

"No, nitwit, he's finally gotten himself a lady friend," Sirius cut in matter-of-factedly, waggling his eyebrows. "Probably another werewolf by the sounds of matters. What's her name, Moony?" 

"It was full moon last week, you morons," he clarified, though smiling.

Sirius frowned. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Are you quite sure? Because--"

"_Yes_, Padfoot, I'm _quite sure_."

"--I thought it was next week--" 

"It's a new moon next week."

Sirius looked crestfallen. "I was looking forward to a good romp."

Moony winced. "Don't call it that."

Lily was laughing when the compartment door opened up again. Frank Longbottom and Alice Prewett stood grinning at the door, arms around each other.

"_There_ you lot are, we've been looking up and down the train for you," Frank said merrily, stepping into the compartment. "Mind if we squish in?"

"NO SORRY NOT ENOUGH SEATS," Sirius said loudly, but was cut off as James elbowed him over into the side of the car to make room for the couple. 

"Heard from Kingsley lately?" James asked them. He knew that Frank and Kingsley had an established friendship; Kingsley had graduated last year and was now training to be Auror.

Frank nodded. "Happiest I've ever seen him. In some places, you could see where ink blots had been on the parchment in his last letter because--get this--he was _excited_ while he was writing."

James' jaw dropped. "We are talking Kingsley _Shacklebolt_, right? Yay tall, deep voice, dry sense of humour, completely deadpan _all the effing time_?"

"I guess he just loves the work," Frank said, grinning. "He's got me and Alice convinced." Alice nodded happily beside him. 

"You're going for Auror?" James asked, sounding surprised, though he realized that it wasn't really much of a shock.

"That's great!" Lily added.

Frank and Alice grinned. "Well, it'll come in handy, especially with the work we're doing for..." he glanced at the window in the door to make sure no one was around. "_The Order_," he mouthed. Most of the compartment nodded fervently at his words; Remus, on the other hand, looked particularly moody all of a sudden.

"Cheer up, Moony," James said, prodding his shin with his toe. "You're the best wizard of anyone in this room. You're already as talented as an Auror... only difference is, you won't be forced to be under the Ministry's thumb." 

"Ah, but Prongs, you forget," Sirius said, "he likes being under thumbs."

"I do not like being under thumbs," Lupin grumbled.

"Why can't he--" Lily started, but James shook his head fervently.

"The Ministry isn't terribly fond of... _furry little problems_," he said gently. "As soon as he walks into any Ministry building, they'll know immediately that he just so happens to have one, and condemn him to a life of poverty accordingly."

"Well, that's rotten," she stated, frowning. "They do know that you're still a Remus 98 of the time, right?" 

"Doesn't matter," he said. "Not to them. Werewolves traditionally side with Voldemort, and are _notoriously unreliable_ besides." He cracked his knuckles in a rare show of aggression, but kept his expression neutral.

"Forget the Ministry, Moony," James said, waving a hand. "Who needs a salary?" 

"People who don't have rich parents," Frank piped up.

"Er... true," James said, "but I _do_ have rich parents, so I am officially boycotting the Ministry of Magic for Furry-Little-Problem discrimination."

"Second," Sirius said, raising a hand. He suddenly looked nervous, however, and leaned towards James. "Can I have some of your parents' money too?" he whispered. 

"Yes."

"Cheers."

"Third," Lily said, raising a hand as well. James smiled fondly at her for sticking up for his friend, and, to his surprise, she returned the smile.

Lupin was smiling now. "Thank you for the gesture, but that's not necessary," he said, waving a hand vaguely.

"Yes it is," James and Lily said together.

"Wish I could say the same, Lupin," Frank said, shrugging.

"No, no," he insisted, now perfectly cheery. "The wizarding world can always use more Aurors, and frankly I couldn't think of two people better for the job than you and Alice." Remus frowned. "Who is being oddly silent. Are you all right, Alice?"

Alice nodded happily, but didn't make a sound. Frank grinned and kissed her forehead lightly. "She's terribly fond of Droobles' gum; she fell asleep while chewing some last night and... er... hasn't as yet gotten her teeth unstuck."

Lily emitted a small hiccup of laughter and put a hand to her mouth to stop herself. James took a moment to note how unbelievably adorable she was before he noted that Alice was making similar hiccups of laughter.

"She and I have been laughing at her all morning, it's quite all right," Frank said gently, grinning.

Everyone broke out into wide grins, except Peter, who burst out in near-hysterical laughter and clutched his stomach. Everyone in the cabin recoiled a bit at his over-the-top reaction.

"I wish he'd show enthusiasm like that when we ask him where he was on the night of Hogsmeade battle," Sirius said loudly, mostly just to calm the boy down.

It worked.

"I have told you at least a dozen times that I was _there the whole time_," he said with odd sobriety and a rare expression of annoyance on his face.

"Which certainly explains why I didn't see you, and explains even better why Moony didn't see you," Sirius said with accusatory eyes. 

"Let's not have this discussion again," Remus muttered, unhappy with all the talks about his werewolfishness.

"No, let's, Moony," Sirius said, raising his eyebrows at Peter. "I'm going to have this scar on my face _forever_," he said dramatically, pointing at his cheek, where a small and almost invisible indent still remained from his encounter with Lupin, who shrunk in his seat. "And I'd like to know why Peter wasn't there distracting you like he was supposed to be."

"Who says I take orders anyway?" he said, now blushing, but still looking Sirius in the eye fiercely. "I was scared, which if I remember right, was a pretty common emotion that night. I was there, okay? Sorry if I didn't make much of myself. I'm not as brave as the rest of you." 

Sirius opened his mouth to retort, but James kicked him hard in the shin. "_Ow_."

"There," James said. "Now be mad at me because I didn't protect you from my instinctive action of kicking you in the shin." 

Sirius pouted. "Point taken," he mumbled, and resumed looking moodily out the window.

James grinned over at Lily, looking for approval for standing up for Peter, but she had slid the door open and was looking out into the corridor in favour of listening to them argue. James tried to hide his disappointment, but then he caught a grin spread across her face. James' happiness came rushing back--

"Something off the cart, dear?"

--until he realized she was smiling at Madam Hartlet, the witch who manned the cart full of goodies.

A crash resounded; Lily's pleasant expression turned to one of shock, and she rushed out into the corridor to help the witch whose cart had turned over on its side. Remus, Frank and Alice had also gotten to their feet, but James beat them all to it; fortunately for him, the corridor was small, and the other three got back to their seats, noticing there wasn't much room. He heard the door slide closed behind him as he helped Lily and Madam Hartlet put the cart upright.

"Thank you, dears," she puffed, looking slightly unkempt. "That's the second time that's happened today; I must talk to someone about having the wheel fixed."

"Oh, it's no problem," Lily said, waving a hand in dismissal, pulling out a small sack of money from her pocket. "Can I have a pack of chocolate frogs, please?"

"Keep your money, dear, you can have it for free," she said cheerily, fishing out Lily's request and handing it to her with a smile. Lily looked quite shocked, but the witch ignored her protests. "And you too, handsome, pick whatever you'd like."

James was in disbelief. He glanced at Lily over the witch's shoulder, unable to believe the invitation to get all the candy he wanted for free, but she was looking at him with raised eyebrows of presumption. He immediately replaced his grin with a sheepish smile. "I'll just take some pumpkin pasties thanks," he mumbled hastily, and she handed them to him with a smile.

"There you are," she said happily. "Now, if you'll pardon me, hun, I'll just ask your friends what they'd--"

"Why-don't-I-ask-them-for-you," James said hurriedly. He was thinking quickly; Lily was stuck behind the cart. She'd have to stay behind for a second to let the witch out, and he could take the mere seconds he'd have alone with her to ask her out! The opportunity was too pristine to miss. He slid the compartment door open. "Oi, you lot, want anything from the cart?"

Remus fished out a Honeydukes chocolate bar from inside his robes and flashed it with a smile; Alice did the same with four packs of Droobles' gum. Frank, Sirius and Peter, however, all exchanged hungry grins and opened their mouths simultaneously to give James their order. "No-nothing-are-you-sure-okay-if-you-say-so," he said before any of them could speak and slammed the door shut.

Lily didn't appear pleased.

Madam Hartlet, ignorant of James' obvious snubbing of his friends, shrugged and smiled. "Thanks again for your help, dears... if you wouldn't mind stepping back for a second while I squeeze through, thanks hun," she said to Lily, who pressed against the wall to allow the witch to back through the door into the next car.

James took a deep breath and tried to steady his hands. He'd asked Lily out a thousand times, he didn't know why he was nervous. _Maybe because this time's different_, said the James in his head. _Now she's calling you James instead of Potter, you keep saying the same things at the same time, she's stopped insulting you altogether... except for when you do something stupid..._

She glanced at him, smiled briefly, and turned to return to the compartment. He caught her arm gently; she looked up at him with an inquiring look on his face. Her green eyes searched his as though they were reading his mind. 

James panicked.

"Nevermind," he muttered. Lily looked slightly confused but smiled again and reached for the door handle. "Wait, yes mind," he said suddenly, jerking his head backwards to indicate she should come back to where he was. She held the door open, frowning and pursing her lips.

"What, James?" she said, not letting go of the door. He saw Remus lean to the side and raise an eyebrow at him. He scrunched up his face in contemplation as he watched her--_wait, did her face just soften into a look of affection?_

"I just... can I talk to you for a second?" 

She looked hesitant. _Oh Merlin. Maybe she's already guessed what's coming. Maybe she'll just go inside and we can avoid this altogether. I can't do this. Yes I can. No I can't. What if she says no? What if she says yes? I _can_ do this. No I can't. Remember to look her in the eye... no, don't do that, you'll panic again. Look at the floor. That's cute and kind of coy, right? There we go, that's some nice carpeting right there... oh she wears the most adorable shoes. Hey, they're almost the same colour as mine! That means we really are meant to be together! Oh, stop snorting, in-my-head-Moony. But... if her shoes are here, and I'm here, then she's let go of the door and is now standing pretty close in front of me._

James tried not to recoil with intimidation when he looked up. "Are you okay?" she asked him softly, concern etched on her face. 

"I... er..." James swallowed and took a deep breath. "I really like you, Lily. We've been working together for most of the summer, and we're going to keep doing so as Head Boy and Head Girl, and we're only fighting half the time anymore, and we're wearing almost the same colour shoe, and so I can't help but think that... that you might go out with me if I asked you which I'm only going to imply I'm going to do until you confirm or deny so as to potentially save at least part of my pride."

She was staring at him blankly, like she used to when he asked her out every second day since fifth year, just before the part where she insulted him royally and flounced away with her stupid perfect hair and shot him angry glares until he asked again and the process repeated.

James was panicking again. Stupid implication tactic.

"Don't ask me, James."

Wait, was that all?

Wait, what?

"Why not?" he said hoarsely, looking her in the eye. She wasn't staring blankly, he realized... she was _pitying_ him.

Is that good or bad? 

"For all of the reasons you just listed," she clarified softly.

And then she flounced away with her stupid perfect hair and sat next to Remus in the compartment, looking solemnly at the floor as the door slid closed and she disappeared from view.

James' stomach was making a good attempt at escaping from his abdomen. _Okay, okay, calm down and think about this for a second. She doesn't want you to ask her out because you've been working together for most of the summer and will continue to do so... wait, that makes sense! James, you twit! But... I also said that we were only fighting half the time anymore and that we were wearing almost the same colour shoe and that... that I think she might go out with me... if I ask..._

"What does that even _mean_?" he shouted at the closed door. He ignored the bit of red hair that shrunk in its seat at his outburst and the startled glances of the other five in the compartment. He put on his Invisibility Cloak and slunk toward the front of the train, moping.

Maybe he'd curse Snivellus to cheer himself up. 

But even though he found the greasy-haired boy a few compartments forward, huddled around something with Avery, Mulciber and Rosier, James left his wand safely in his pocket and kept walking.


	5. Chapter 5

_December, 1977_

Lily threw down her quill. "Too much work," she groaned, rubbing her temples. 

James sighed with relief and threw his own quill beside hers, rubbing his hands over his face. "I am so indescribably glad you said that."

"I don't remember Dumbledore mentioning that there was paperwork involved in fighting evil."

"Nor do I."

"Did you just say 'nor do I' out loud, or have I gone crazy with the working?"

"Hey, I'm scholarly. I only got one less OWL than you, and that's because I'm only taking nine courses, like_ normal_ people."

"You cheated," she argued sleepily, closing her eyes and smiling. 

"Mais non."

"Stop speaking French to try to get me to think I really _have_ gone crazy with the working."

James grinned. "You ruin all my fun." 

"Hon hon hon."

James had been doing a really good job of deciding not to kiss her until she'd given a hon-hon-hon.

Unfortunately, she sat up straight rather suddenly, and his forehead collided with the back of the loveseat they were sitting on in front of the common room fire. Lily paid no notice, however, as she was staring solemnly once again at the paperwork strewn all over the table. "Guess we'd better finish."

"Uh-uh," James protested, rubbing the middle of his forehead in what he hoped was a stealthy manner as he sat back up. "We definitely deserve a break. We've been at this for three hours straight. My eyes are going wonky."

Lily was smiling kindly at him. "You've worked really hard today, James. If you want to go to bed, I don't mind finishing up."

"No chance, Miss Overachiever," James said, shaking his head. "I am going to help you get through this pile of monotony, and it is going to be tonight, but as Head Boy I can't legally allow you to keep working without coming and getting some fresh air with me first."

She smiled sweetly, but looked at the paperwork all the same. "The sooner we get it done, the sooner we get to sleep. Remember sleep, James?"

"Peh, sleep can wait," he said, waving a hand. "We can sleep on the train tomorrow."

"But I like to watch the scenery go by."

"So sleep when you get home."

"But I'd like to spend time with my parents."

"And so would your cranky-arse sister, I imagine. Give her tomorrow, and you can enjoy her bitter discrimination for the rest of the holiday, if that is your wish."

Lily looked like she was being convinced, but her eyes still lingered on the pages in front of her. James sighed playfully and placed his hand over her eyes. "Oh no, the common room has gone mysteriously pitch-black! We should evacuate the castle just in case there's a Dementor infestation or something."

Lily grinned. "Shouldn't we be helping the younger students evacuate first? We are Head Girl and Boy, after all."

"How can we lead them if they can't even see us? They'll figure it out."

"But--"

"_Safety first_, Lily."

"Oh, I suppose you're right," she resigned, and let James lead her carefully out the portrait hole and down into the corridor. He removed the hand from in front of her eyes as the Fat Lady swung closed behind them. "Oh, I can see now," she said conversationally, smiling. "Maybe we only need go this far." 

"Dementors can _move_, Lily. They _float. Hover. Toward you. Menacingly_. I really think outside is the safest option. You must trust me in these matters. I am Head Boy, after all."

"How silly of me to doubt you." 

"I agree. Please follow me. Quickly now," he said, grabbing her hand and walking briskly toward the nearest staircase down. She lagged behind him, smiling, but didn't let go of his hand as they hurried down the never-ending flights of stairs that eventually emptied out into the Entrance Hall. They jogged onto the grounds and stood for a moment, looking out at the lake that stood before them.

"Are we okay now?"

"Mmm... I don't think so. Don't you feel that cold draft?"

"Yes, James, I do. It's from being outside in the middle of the night."

"Nope, I'm fairly certain it's from Dementors."

"Uh-huh." But her slight annoyance at being pulled along a wild goose chase seemed to disappear from her features as James took off his cloak and put it around her shoulders, which had come down with a terrible case of the goosepimples.

"Not much further, I don't think," he muttered as he took her hand once more and pulled her along the edge of the lake in the general direction of--

"The Quidditch Pitch?"

"It's safe there. Everyone knows Dementors don't like happy people."

"They do like happy people. They like sucking the happiness out of happy people. It's what they do. And why do you assume that everyone in, around or near the Quidditch Pitch is immediately happy? I'm not exceptionally happy when I'm in, around or near the Quidditch Pitch."

"Precisely."

"So you're making me unhappy so the Dementors will leave us alone?"

"Nope."

"You're going to play Quidditch and lead them here toward your own happiness and away from the other students? No, wait, that's not the James Potter way."

"Lily," James said seriously as they entered the arena, "before you continue to insult me, I have to ask: you do remember that these Dementors are imaginary, right?"

Lily opened her mouth to retort, but stopped short. "Yes," she muttered, shuffling her feet.

"I thought so," James said, grinning. Then, suddenly, he flopped backwards and landed hard on the ground, spread-eagled. He coughed twice and massaged his ribs, but smiled at Lily to indicate that she join him. She flashed a hesitant smile down at him before falling in the same manner; she, however, fell gracefully, as though she was going in slow motion, and landed very softly on the grass beside him. He gaped. "How...?"

Lily smiled and looked up at the stars. "I don't know. I used to be able to levitate, before I had a wand, but I'm not so keen on not having two feet firmly on the ground anymore. I haven't tried in a while. That was fun, though," she finished happily, waving a hand to indicate her freefall.

"And here I thought I was special because I could turn into a stag," James said in awe.

Lily's head snapped over and looked at James lying beside her. James thought about doing the same, but didn't trust himself not to kiss the lips that would be inches away if he did. Instead, he watched her out of the corner of his eye. "I've never seen you as a stag."

"That's not true," he started, but she shook her head.

"That was a glimpse. I was shooting fireworks in the other direction, remember? I saw haunches and a tail. I've never actually _seen_ you as a stag."

"Mm," he said non-commitally. 

"It seems weird. We've been working together for months. One might venture to say that we're pretty good friends." James' heart both soared and sunk at that comment. "I've known you could transform for seven months. I know when and why you transform. But even in an evil-fighting capacity, I've never seen Prongs."

James didn't respond. Lily stared at him expectantly. Finally he glanced over and said shortly, "Fancy that."

"Don't 'fancy that' me."

"I'll fancy you all I want."

"That's not what I said."

"Nor did you say you want me to transform, but I assume that's what you were implying."

Lily made an impatient whine. "C'mon. How am I going to recognize you as James if I come across Prongs one day?"

"Why would you need to?"

"Well, if I see a stag staring at my chest, it'd be nice to know it's you."

James grinned. "And why is that?"

"So I can smack you and tell you to stop it."

"Har har." James paused. "I'll make you a deal."

Lily groaned. "If you're about to say that you'll transform if I'll go out with you, I'm going back to the castle and you can finish the paperwork."

James stared. "I've asked you out once since Hogsmeade, and that was as sincerely as possible. If you ever go out with me, I want it to be because you want to, not because I made a compromise with you."

Lily was quiet. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely.

James waved off the apology. "It's my fault in the first place. A year ago, I'd have tried that compromise."

"A year ago, I wouldn't have let you drag me off to the Quidditch Pitch in lieu of doing work in the middle of the night. We've both changed." Lily paused. "Mostly you."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now what's this deal?"

James took a deep breath. "If you and I ever come face to face with Voldemort again, and I tell you to run, you have to run."

Lily was shocked. "What?"

"Let me finish. I'm not as stupid as I was before the Order. Now I know to run too. If I possibly can, I'll run with you. But if there's no chance of getting away without a delay, you have to run, even if I stay behind."

Lily stared at him. James turned his head to the side to watch her eyes watch him. She looked at him open mouthed for a long time. Finally, the words formed in her mouth. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

James frowned. "You're never very appreciative of my attempts to save your life."

"That's because it's an idiotic principle! I'm not going to _leave you behind_ if Voldemort is on our tail, James. If we're to die at Voldemort's hands, we're going to do it together. Merlin. 'You have to run even if I stay behind.' Yeah, I'm likely to agree to that."

James was trying to process thoughts, but the words _if we're going to die at Voldemort's hands, we're going to do it together_ kept getting in the way. "Okay," James said slowly. "What if it was between standing at my side and saving someone else. Can I make you promise to take that someone else and run and hide forever?"

Lily thought. "And this promise is in exchange for seeing you as a stag?" 

"That's correct."

"Seems pretty one-sided."

"Depends on just how much you want to see me as a stag."

Lily grinned. "Okay, James. If it ever just so happens that the only way to escape Voldemort is for one of us to fight him so that the other can save a third party and run away with them, then I promise that I'll let you be the one to fight him."

James closed his eyes and hummed appreciatively, smiling. "Thank you."

Lily shook her head. "Where the hell did that even come from?"

"It'd just be a shame to see that pretty face in a coffin."

Lily's breath of near-laughter tickled James' lips. He instinctively reached up and tucked a stray strand of amber hair behind her ear. She seemed to relax at his light touch and watched his eyes through his glasses very closely. "You're a selfless man, James Potter. Even though what you find considerate is often_ completely_ misguided, I am flattered that you care so much about me that you're willing to sacrifice yourself for my sake." She paused. "But that still means that you're a bit of an idiot."

James smiled. "I can deal with that," he whispered huskily, and finally he couldn't stop himself anymore. He leaned gently forward and touched her lips with his, caressing her cheek with his thumb. She returned his kiss and ran a hand through his hair, knocking his glasses slightly askew. She pulled away, eyes twinkling and a smile playing at her lips. 

"Do you think you could find the inspiration to turn into a stag now?" she asked him quietly. A slow smile spread over James' face; he opened his mouth to reply, but Lily spoke before he was able to. "Keep in mind that 'yes' is the correct answer to this question. Also, if you're going to make a joke about stags being horny, that's the last kiss from me you'll ever get."

James pouted, but got slowly and somewhat regretfully to his feet. "Always with the threats," he muttered, hardly daring to process that he had just kissed Lily Evans and gotten away with it. He suddenly felt self-conscious, however, and looked shyly at the redhead now sitting cross-legged in front of him. "Would you mind... turning the other way? Just while I transform, then you can turn back."

The smile on Lily's face suggested that she found his embarrassment extremely adorable, but she kept her tone steady. "How will I know it's you and not some replacement stag?"

James raised his eyebrows and looked from side to side. "Do you see any other stags around here?"

"No, James, but you are a wizard."

"Oh. Right. Well... I'll just stare at your chest, and then you'll know it's me."

"Har har," she said, but placed her hands over her eyes and shut them tight. "Is this okay?"

"I guess," he muttered, and watched her carefully. He didn't know why he was shy about transforming; Peter wasn't terribly, Sirius never was and Remus didn't really have a choice. She didn't seem to be peeking, though, so he shut his eyes and concentrated on rearranging his limbs. When he opened them again, he was Prongs. He nudged Lily lightly with his antler to indicate that it was okay that she look.

Her expression was pure awe. She got swiftly to her feet and started a slow circle around Prongs. He stood still and watched her as she walked. Finally she stopped in front of him and crouched down, looking him in the eye. She smiled and put a hesitant hand on his head. "Yep. It's definitely you," she muttered, rubbing his fur gently. He bobbed his head up and down once to indicate that she was correct. She stepped around him again, stopping at the side where the Whomping Willow had gotten him. There was a clear scar on his side; the fur was a slightly different colour where it had regrown. She touched it lightly and stated aloud that it must have been bad; he snapped his head around to try and see what she was speaking of. Unable to get a clear view, he stepped slightly sideways to get a better look; Lily stepped back and laughed as he turned in a full circle trying to see his own side before he realized that it just wasn't going to happen.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that you're just as handsome as a stag as you are as a human," she told him. He leapt into the air and launched into a short run around the Quidditch Pitch. She laughed as he gave the occasional hop, showing off. He slowed to a trot as he approached her again and stood in front of her, watching her watch him. She knelt down in front of him once more and rubbed his nose lightly. "Thank you," she said. He bobbed his head once more and gave a gentle snort. She grinned and stood upright, stepping back and covering her eyes with her hands. "Okay, you can turn back into James now."

"I saw you peeking, you know," came his gentle voice a moment later. She blushed lightly and took his hand, starting the walk back toward the castle.

"I'm sorry. I was just so curious."

He squeezed her hand tightly. "I know. That's one of the things I love about you."

They walked back across the grounds in comfortable silence, taking in their surroundings and enjoying each other's company. It wasn't until they were walking down the corridor to the Fat Lady that James spoke again.

"I'm sorry, I keep wondering if I'm dreaming or not. Did we really kiss back there?"

"Yes, we did," Lily said patiently, smiling.

"In that case... would you like to accompany me to dinner over the holiday?"

"I would love to," she grinned.

James grinned and hopped slightly on the spot. "Can I tell my friends we kissed?"

"If you must."

"Can I tell them you said you'd go out with me?"

"Yes, you may."

"Can I tell them you said I was handsome?"

"Yes."

"Can I tell them you said I was selfless and considerate even if I'm an idiot about it?"

"Yes, James."

"Can I kiss you again?"

"Yes," she replied happily, and turned on her heel capture his lips in her own before he could act. He placed a hand in the small of her back, pulling her closer toward him and responding to her kiss with one of his own. She ran her hands through his hair, messing it up even worse than usual, if possible. Eventually she broke away from him and rested her head on his shoulder, realizing he would probably kiss her until the end of seventh year and beyond if he had a choice. She wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him tightly, a gesture that he returned happily.

"Is this going to affect our working relationship?" he asked dreamily as they reluctantly started to walk again, clasping hands.

"I think we've established that we can get work done when we need to."

"Okay good."

"I'm impressed that you thought of that, though."

"Me too," he grinned. "Daily Double," he told the Fat Lady, who had lately taken to watching Muggle game shows on the veletision in her friend Vi's portrait.

"I'll wager one million," the Fat Lady muttered sleepily, swinging open to admit them. They both stayed put, however, suddenly daunted with the task of more paperwork as soon as they stepped through the portrait hole.

"I knew we shouldn't have taken a break," Lily murmured, more to herself than James.

"I'm glad we did, though."

"Me too."

"As breaks go, I'd say that one was top-notch."

"That appears to be the general consensus."

"Okay. Shall we?" he asked, stepping back and beckoning her through first.

"I suppose," she said, climbing through the hole. She stopped as soon as she entered the Common Room and James thought she was hesitating at the workload again... when he saw the long, white beard behind her.

"Er... hello, Professor," James said upon his approach. He was fighting to search for some bogus excuse as to his whereabouts when he saw Sirius, wearing only pyjama pants and a very concerned look, sitting in a chair next to Dumbledore. "What's going on?"

"I am afraid that I have come bearing bad news. Please sit down, James." Dumbledore seemed to catch James' reflexive glance at Lily, for he then added, "It is up to you if Lily stays with you. It concerns only you and, to a lesser extent, Sirius, but she will learn of it quite soon in any case, and you may wish to have her here as a support system."

"Who's died?" James asked immediately, grabbing Lily's hand and sitting slowly down in a chair. He looked to Sirius for the answer when Dumbledore didn't immediately answer, but he only shrugged and gave Dumbledore the same rapt attention.

"There was a Dark Mark cast this evening," Dumbledore started slowly. There was a quaver in his voice, and James suddenly understood that his hesitation was due in part to his own grief that he was struggling to control. "Neither occupant of the household in question was found to be alive upon discovery."

"Who?" James asked in a panic, voice cracking on the single word.

"The Dark Mark," Dumbledore continued as though James had not spoken, "was found over your parents' home in Godric's Hollow."

For all the noise that followed, the only thing James remembered were Lily's warm arms around him.

* * *

**A/N:** _Fun and then serious and then fun and then depressing. A dynamic chapter, to say the least.  
As it says on my profile page, things are crazy, and it's only my intense desire to be a hermit today that has yielded this chapter. Hopefully I will have this similar intense desire at other times, because I'd forgotten how much joy writing this stuff gives me. Keep an eye out, but this is the last chapter for a bit. Probably._


	6. Chapter 6

_June, 1978_

James and Lily walked happily out of their Charms exam, hand in hand. Both were smiling rather widely at the completion of their final exam. "James?" she said quietly.

"Lily."

"We're done."

"Yep."

"We're done, done."

"I know."

Lily grasped his hand tightly; her smile faded as she processed her thoughts. "James?"

"Lily."

"I think I may have messed up a question. Can we go back?"

"Nope."

"Please?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Jaaaaaames."

"We're finished, Lils. No more going back to plead with Professor Flitwick to check your papers. No more taking away points from first-years for having fanged frisbees. No more worrying that Dumbledore's going to suddenly burst into my dorm and give us detention for snogging while we're supposed to be doing Order things. In three days, we are out of Hogwarts forever."

Lily stopped dead, horrified at the realization. "JamesIreallyhavetocheckonmypaper."

But James stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, effectively stopping her from going anywhere. He nudged her foot forward with his own, and the other, until they were under the shade of their favourite willow tree near the shore of the lake. "Will you sit?"

Lily merely squeaked.

"May I sit you?"

Lily stared into the open water and said nothing. James let go of her hesitantly; she stood still. He moved to her side and braced himself before pushing her knees lightly out; she fell back freely and he caught her, lying her gently down on the grass. He stretched out beside her and they stared into the blue sky, James smiling and Lily gaping.

"I feel so empty, not having any homework to do," she croaked finally.

"I feel so free, not having to do any homework."

"Not like you did it anyway."

"I didn't need to. I'll bet I got the same number of NEWTs as you."

"I bet one fewer."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot that you're taking eight classes like a total weirdie."

"Are you dating a weirdie, James Potter?"

"Why yes, Lily Evans, I must be, for I am dating a girl who takes eight courses instead of seven, and only weirdies do that."

Lily laughed and rolled toward him, settling her head against his chest and looking out into the lake. "Does that make you a weirdie-lover, then?"

"What? No!" James proclaimed. "There's no such thing as a weirdie-lover."

"Is that so?"

"There are only weirdies and non-weirdies, and that's where the weirdie-titling ends."

"And so I suppose you think of yourself as a non-weirdie, then."

"That's correct."

"I think you are the only person on the face of the planet who would call you a non-weirdie."

"I am! I'm a non-weirdie. Especially compared to who I usually hang around with. Sirius is a weirdie. Peter is most definitely a weirdie."

"No argument here."

"And then, of course, there's you, who takes ten OWL courses and eight NEWT courses. For fun."

"Mm," Lily hummed. "And Remus?"

"Remus is about as non-weirdie as you can get. Even I will admit that, compared to him, I am indeed a weirdie."

"You're less normal than... someone with a furry little problem?"

"Have you met Remus? He wears sweater vests. On _holidays_. He has an encyclopaedia shelf in his room at home. When he gets drunk, he spouts off facts about Switzerland and then _crawls into bed_ to pass out. He's as non-weirdie as someone can possibly be. Furry little problem aside."

"So you're saying that I'm weirdier than a werewolf?"

"That's correct, my lovely Lilykins."

Lily smiled. "We discussed Lilykins."

"Right. Sorry, my delectable danish."

Lily laughed aloud. "The things you come up with." She turned around and rested her ear over his heart, though now she was facing him. "How are you?" she asked quietly, looking into his hazel eyes with her great green ones.

James frowned as he thought. "Dreading going home to an empty house."

"I'll bet."

"Heeeey... want to move in with me and save me that trouble?"

Lily creased her forehead in mock contemplation. "I don't think Sirius would like that very much."

"Oh, right. _Him_. Well, he can be our family dog."

"_Family_ dog, huh?"

"Er... no. A dog. That we will have. In my house that you will live in with me to save me from the echoes and sadness."

"But Sirius can save you from the echoes and sadness."

James frowned. "I can't have babies with Sirius!"

"Aw c'mon. Everyone loves puppies."

"They'd be fawns, thank you very much, and no I ruddy well don't."

Lily paused and backtracked through the conversation. "Also, if I did move in with you, which isn't going to happen anytime soon by the way, babies wouldn't be in the offing for a good while."

"Like a year?"

"No."

"Like two years?"

"Like maybe ten."

"Ten years! I have to wait ten years for a little James?" He sighed. "Well, at least I'll have the company of a rapturous redhead to occupy me until then."

Lily looked up at him. "You have that much confidence in our relationship?" she asked seriously.

James smiled at her and, with great difficulty, kissed her on the forehead while disturbing her as little as possible. "In case you haven't noticed, I am madly in love with you. Confidence in the relationship sort of comes with the territory."

Lily blinked at him appreciatively before pushing herself up and kissing him sweetly on the lips. Her curtain of red hair fell around his face, and he removed his glasses as he lifted his head to deepen the kiss. "I like the things you say sometimes," she admitted.

"I like that you like the things I say sometimes," he responded happily, pulling her into a horizontal hug.

"Mm." And so they lay, under the shade of the willow tree, in perfect silence, each thinking about how wonderful it really would be if they could live together, and about how non-scary that thought was. "I love you," she whispered suddenly in his ear.

James stopped breathing. "Maybe we best get off to the castle. I think I fell asleep for a second there."

"I love you," she repeated, louder this time, looking him in the eyes.

He stared back. "I think maybe I'm still asleep."

She kissed him and grinned. "I love you," she cooed once more.

Finally, James believed her. He started breathing again and pulled her into a tight hug, not allowing himself to say a word.

"Dumbledore," she croaked after a moment.

James frowned and found his voice. "You love Dumbledore?" he whispered.

"Dumbledore!"

James looked instinctively around for Sirius, as though he might be hexing her to say crazy things from within the bushes. Instead his eyes found the twinkling eyes and silver beard, striding down toward the couple with a hint of a smile on his face. Lily scrambled to her feet and pulled James up after her. Lily took measures to tame her hair while James took measures to mess his up as they started up the hill toward Dumbledore. "Something the matter, Professor?" James asked Dumbledore immediately.

"You needn't call me Professor any longer, James. You may call me Albus, or just Dumbledore if you prefer."

"Er... okay, sir," he said awkwardly. Lily smacked her forehead. Dumbledore smiled.

"Nothing is urgently the matter," he continued. James and Lily visibly relaxed. "There are matters that need to be addressed, however."

"What matters are these?" James asked, brow furrowed, clearly not mocking Dumbledore's grave tone. Lily noticed his seriousness and cocked her head.

"Firstly, the matter of your family home."

"Oh." James instantly became uncomfortable.

"I do not believe you will be safe returning there," Dumbledore said.

James raised his head. Further explanation was not necessary. "Where do you suggest I go?" he asked.

"That is the issue at hand," he replied lightly, eyebrows raised. "I have spoken to the families of your friends."

James smiled grimly. "I'll bet Sirius' mum wasn't terribly pleased."

"I should say not." Dumbledore looked amused. "The Lupins and the Pettigrews, however, were much more receptive to my visit. They have each offered to take one of you for as long as you wish, as their sons have spent so much time at your home over the years."

"One of us?" James asked, exchanging a glance with Lily.

"You and Sirius," Dumbledore responded, smiling broadly.

"Oh. Okay." James ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I guess I'll talk to Sirius about it."

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe that, eventually, you will be able to return home, if that is your wish. The Death Eaters will be searching your house often and methodically for the next while, as they are aware of your schooling having ended. Should you return, do not expect your house to be well-kept. I believe they may go so far as to strip your belongings in search of clues as to your whereabouts. After some time has passed, I don't believe they will expect you to go back to that house. We will take some precautions when and if you do decide you move back in, but after a few charms, you should be adequately hidden."

James nodded slowly as Dumbledore spoke. "What about Lily? She and her family should be... moved, or something, they can't stay where they are."

"That is another matter I came down to discuss," Dumbledore said with a smile, now clearly addressing Lily. "I have taken the liberty of moving your parents already, as they were under fear of detection. You will not take the Hogwarts Express home; members from the Order will escort you from here to your new place of residence. The Fidelius Charm has again been cast. You should be quite safe from harm."

"Won't the Death Eaters get suspicious when Lily doesn't come off the train?" James asked. Dumbledore's smile widened.

"A very astute question. Naturally, they will be watching for you both; there is nothing that runs as reliably as the Hogwarts Express. I imagine they will be quite mystified when neither of you make an appearance; it will appear as though you will have simply disappeared. Voldemort will be most displeased." Dumbledore looked immensely proud of them momentarily before regaining his composure.

"Thank you," Lily said to Dumbledore, taking James' hand. Dumbledore shook his head lightly.

"You are members of the Order. You have a right to protection. It is not only I who is responsible."

James and Lily nodded in sync. Dumbledore closed his eyes and nodded once, very slowly, and suddenly took on a grave expression. "You may take your leave of me shortly; however, there is one further matter that I wish to bring up."

James and Lily waited expectantly. Dumbledore drew a breath and let it out, apparently struggling with the words. Finally he spoke, although it was very slowly, as if he needed to process each word before he said it. "We are in need of field workers tonight. Kingsley has backed out on the pretence of Auror testing, and Alastor and I have a trial of particular interest to attend. I ask you this only on the basis of formality; you have only just become full-fledged members of the wizarding world. Should you wish to decline, there is nothing I can say to convince you otherwise." Dumbledore paused and inclined his head in indication of the weight the question he was about to ask carried. "Are you ready to enter into battle?"

James and Lily exchanged a quick glance. Lily already knew what James' answer was. She took a deep breath. "Not without James at my side," she told Dumbledore with a directness in her voice.

Dumbledore smiled sadly and nodded before turning on the spot and starting up the hill. Lily glanced once more at James, half-smiled nervously, and together they followed the grey wizard up the hill, hands tightly clasped.  



	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** I opened this document today to find two half-chapters already written. I'd forgotten about that!  
__Unfortunately after reading this over and realizing I was in a rather Raymond Chandler-esque frame of mind when I wrote this half, I find myself, now in a Voltaire-ish frame of mind, struggling to write the rest of this chapter. So. No pressure, but... reviews are the best incentive:)  
Thanks for the wait, gentle readers. You're very dear. Hopefully with my next better organized semester I'll be updating more frequently. _

* * *

_March, 1979_

James and Lily sat in the Hog's Head. James was reading the paper and drinking a Butterbeer at the counter. Lily was just sitting, arms and legs crossed, clearly displeased. James wore a hat that covered his eyes. Lily wore an Invisibility Cloak.

Reluctantly.

_"It's you they want!"_

_"No love, it isn't."_

_"Yes James, it is."_

_"Of the two of us, who casts the best offensive spell?"_

_"You."_

_"...Er... yeah. Sorry."_

_"Wear the damn Cloak."_

_"Didn't we start off this conversation with me asking you to do the same, only much more politely?"_

_"They are far less likely to kill me immediately. I'm a Mudblood, remember? Torture is the best policy."_

_"Lily!"_

_"Whereas you... you're a threat."_

_"They won't kill us. We're on _Voldemort's_ list, remember? Death Eaters aren't a problem."_

_"Don't you dare be flippant about Death Eaters, James Potter."_

_"But Lily, in case you haven't noticed, you're a bad-ass good guy who is far cleverer than me. Without you, I'm nothing. They know that. If they get me, you'll be okay; if they get you, neither of us will. Now please put the Cloak on."_

_"No."_

_"Lily..."_

_"No."_

_"Sweetie pumpkin..."_

_"James, if the next words out of your mouth are 'Cauldron cake', I swear to Merlin I will--"_

But then James had kissed her, a lot, and now here she was, wearing the Invisibility Cloak. 

"I think it should be called a foul when you use your lips as a persuasion tool," Lily whispered into James' ear. A hint of a smile appeared from under the hat's brim.

Aberforth came up to James across the bar, drying a mug. "Want another?" Aberforth asked in a low, impersonal tone. James glanced up at him and shook his head curtly before returning to the paper. He wasn't reading it any longer, though; he was paying attention to the two men that had just walked in, watching them out of his periphery.

"Firewhiskey, barkeep," demanded the thicker of the two in a raspy voice. Aberforth pulled out a bottle and two glasses before disappearing into the back room, as was common practice when Death Eaters came in. They paid him good money to stay out of their affairs, and though Aberforth was a member of the Order, he also had a business to run.

James and Lily were perfectly aware of who the two men were. The one who had ordered was Evan Rosier, who had been in their year at Hogwarts. The other was Severus Snape.

"Suppose we tell them," Snape muttered.

"Tell them what? Nothing's been said. He's too fresh to talk."

"All the same, the knowledge that they're being betrayed..."

"Will invoke more than we're bargaining for." Rosier paused. "You're newer at this than I thought."

"I merely think that we are spending too much time and energy on those who aren't a threat."

"Tell that to the boss. See how fast you hit the ground."

"I am not threatened."

"That shows just how new at this you are." Rosier downed some Firewhiskey. "Even if they do panic and scatter, he's still not going to be pleased, and the betrayal is going to lie on both of our heads. So, try it and I'll kill you." He spoke airily. Snape's facial expression remained completely neutral as they both fell silent.

Aberforth emerged from the back room and looked around to make sure his customers were all right for the time being. His brow furrowed in annoyance and he stepped toward the middle of the bar and picked up three coasters, tossing them across the counter to the Death Eaters. "Listen, I don't ask much from my patrons, but the least you can do is save me a little work and use the damn coasters," he said annoyedly. He sent one down the counter to James as well before retreating back into the room and muttering, "Every time with these guys".

James caught the coaster easily and slid it casually from one hand to the next. As he had thought, a note was caught beneath it, and was dislodged just enough with the movement for James to thumb it into the sleeve of his robes. He pulled it out once he had re-opened the newspaper, making sure it could be plainly seen by Lily and no one else.

_Scrimgeour's on a crusade.  
Other DE's coming. Target unknown. I'm your backup._

The scrawl, rushed though it was, was clearly Sirius'. Lily's heart was pounding in her chest. She knew that the 'others' meant Death Eaters and that Rosier and Snape weren't just here on social occasion. She also knew that if Scrimgeour was on a crusade, the Aurors of the Order would be indisposed. When Sirius referred to himself as backup, he meant himself alone. James evidently understood all this as well and swore quietly, though careful to keep his calm, and folded the paper delicately. 

Rosier's attention had been caught. "Grave news, friend?" he asked James, obviously not recognizing him.

"Always," James replied huskily, downing the last of his Butterbeer while being careful to keep his face hidden beneath the brim of the hat.

Rosier squinted obviously, trying to decipher James' features. "It's a grave world, all right," he prompted. James gave no inclination of having heard. "Especially these days." Rosier was getting too nosy. Lily drew out her wand under the cloak. "Whose side are you on, friend?" Rosier finally asked.

"The only side there is," James responded, still staring at the counter. This was apparently a good answer in Rosier's books, for he grinned and took another swallow of firewhiskey. Snape, on the other hand, was now also paying attention, and was frowning in James' direction.

"Out on orders, are you?"

"Something like that."

"Coming with us?" Rosier asked. Snape's expression behind him became startled at Rosier's question.

"Not sure what you're talking about."

"Sure you are," Rosier prompted. He was leaning toward James with his eyebrows raised and his cold eyes darting with excitement.

"Rosier," Snape started coldly behind him in warning, but the door opened and a pair of mean-looking wizards in dark robes walked in. They muttered something to Snape and Rosier about "change of plan" and left just as briskly as they had entered. Snape and Rosier exchanged a somewhat nervous glance; Snape fished for change in the pocket of his robes while Rosier swept on his cloak.

"See you in Ottery St. Catchpole, friend," Rosier winked as they left. Snape's head snapped fleetingly toward James as he walked out the door. James kept his head down until the footsteps receded, and outside was silent.

"Thank Merlin for stupid Death Eaters," James muttered so only Lily could hear as he, too, fished change out of his pocket. "Do me a favour and take care of the Red Herring, will you, barkeep?" he said more loudly as Aberforth emerged from the back room.

"Sure, pal," he said in an impersonal manner, wiping the bar with a cloth and not looking at James as he left.

"James, I'm a little wary about this," Lily muttered as she rushed up the rocky slope after him, trying to cope with the length of the Invisibility Cloak.

"I doubt very much that it's a set up," he said as he held out his hand to the air, reading her mind. "Either he's way smarter than he looks, or they're finally going after Arthur and Molly like they've been planning since Witticker bit the dust."

She took his hand and helped herself up into the cave, shedding the Cloak immediately upon entry. "You didn't see Snape's face."

"Thank Merlin."

Lily ignored the joke. "In all honesty, Sev--Snape is smart enough to have stopped Rosier before he said anything stupid. I think it was a pre-organized set up to send the Order on the wrong trail."

"Next you're going to tell me that you think Scrimgeour is a Death Eater because he's taken the Auror team out of the equation." James shook his head. "Snape started to protest. He got squirrelly, I could tell by his tone of voice. Rosier really is stupid enough to have let something like that slip. Snape may have just been cunning enough to make it seem like a false trail to lead us somewhere else."

Lily smiled. "So you admit that Snape is smart?"

"I said cunning, love. Like a fox. An ugly greasy fox." James frowned. "What does it matter what I think of Snape? He's a Death Eater. That's all I need to know."

Lily opened her mouth to answer, but Sirius took the opportunity to Apparate in the back of the cave. His face was covered in sweat and he stretched his wand arm immediately after appearing. "I am seriously starting to think that Scrimgeour is either a Death Eater or a vampire," Sirius stated grumpily. "I have been Apparating everywhere to find out something about what the Death Eaters are planning since all the Aurors are indisposed, Wormtail's missing and Moony's off being a lame werewolf. Any news?"

"Ottery St. Catchpole," James stated shortly.

Sirius grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "You always get the job done, Prongs. I am in awe. And, Lily, of course, you are a goddess as well," he added, giving a slight bow in the direction of the lady.

"Actually, I sat under an Invisibility Cloak the entire time," she stated in a bitter tone.

"What?" Sirius asked, shocked. "Prongs, she's way more capable than you. It should be you under there observing, not her."

"He doesn't listen, Sirius, don't bother trying."

"Does no one understand I only have the best intentions in mind?" James asked grumpily, glancing repeatedly out the cave. It was clear he wanted to get going.

"Relax, mate," Sirius said seriously, deciding it was time to switch to the more urgent subject. "Is it likely that they're really going to Ottery St. Catchpole?"

"Yes," James said.

"Have Arthur and Molly been warned?"

"I put Aberforth on it before I left."

"Does Arthur know to Apparate here?"

"Arthur's at work. The first and only place he's going is home."

Sirius nodded. "What's the plan?"

"They're obviously meeting somewhere beforehand. Rosier and Snape weren't in the Hog's Head for just a drink. They were misinformed."

Sirius frowned. "Planted?"

"That's what I think," Lily said.

"I disagree," James stated lightly. "Either way, I think our best plan is to go to town, check on the Weasleys and then wait for sunset."

Sirius nodded. "Okay. I'm going to go see if I can find Wormtail. I'll meet you two there." Sirius turned on the spot and was gone a moment later.


End file.
